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A top administrator for Southwestern College went on a Napa Valley wine and golf getaway with a construction executive three weeks before the man’s company was awarded a $4 million contract with the college.

The contractor, Echo Pacific Construction of Escondido, paid $15,000 to “win” the trip during a silent auction fundraiser for the school’s auxiliary foundation. Part of the prize was spending the weekend with Nicholas Alioto, vice president for business and financial affairs, who plays a key role in handing out district contracts.

The foundation raises money for college scholarships and to support school construction efforts. In March, it hosted just under 500 people at a “Havana Nights” themed gala at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in Coronado.

Alioto said it is normal for people to bid on auction items that include dinner or outings with decision-makers and that his participation in the weekend at Silverado Resort and Spa in late June was not a financial conflict of interest.

Alioto’s portion of the trip cost $1,800. It would be illegal for him to accept gifts in excess of $420 a year directly from a contractor. But his portion of the trip was covered by the foundation, avoiding any legal issue.

On July 14, the Southwestern College board granted Echo a $4 million construction management contract recommended by Alioto for The Corner Lot, a $59 million administration center, plus a bookstore, food court, art gallery and wellness center in Chula Vista.

Alioto said the contract award had nothing to do with the Napa outing, and added that decisions about contracts are handled by many people, not just him.

Still, “It doesn’t pass the smell test,” said San Diego State University business management and ethics professor Jai Ghorpade, who has taught courses in ethics and human resources management in his 35 years at the college.

“What you have is an ethical problem,” he said, adding that Alioto’s participation violates “norms and moral codes. That shouldn’t be going on there.”

Although Echo won the Napa retreat, the company’s president, Chris Rowe, was not the only contractor to accompany Alioto.

Henry Amigable of Seville Construction Services came along, as did Paul Bunton of BCA Architecture — the company that purchased the trip and donated it for the silent auction.

The group spent the weekend at the Silverado Resort and Spa, which boasts nine swimming pools, two 18-hole golf courses, 13 tennis courts more than 400 rooms on 1,200 acres.

“We golfed and had dinner and went on some wine tastings,” Alioto said.

This past summer, Alioto came under fire when he hosted a wine-and-cheese fundraiser for college board trustees Yolanda Salcido and Terri Valladolid — inviting many contractors to give money to the incumbents’ campaigns. Alioto said there was no problem with the fundraiser, which he said he hosted because he fears for his job if the two are ousted.

BCA, Seville and Echo have donated more than $35,000 combined to Salcido and Valladolid.

Many at the South County college campus who have become disenchanted in recent years with the administration and board of directors are suspicious of the wine country trip and Alioto’s fraternizing with district vendors.

“You are dealing with companies that have donated tens of thousands of dollars to incumbents,” said faculty union President Andy MacNeill. “While it may be legal, it is highly suspect.”

Rowe did not return a message left on Friday to seek his comment on the trip.

Alioto said his participation was an effort to raise funds for the college foundation, which made about $154,000 at the Havana Nights gala.

The fact that many political and foundation donors have contracts with the district should not cause alarm, Alioto said.

“I’ve been very careful to make sure that we always have a large group of people in the selection process so nobody can say that one person is making these types of decisions,” Alioto said.

Other silent auction items at the Havana Nights gala included a sushi dinner with college president Raj Chopra, which sold for $6,500 to GKK Architects, Alioto said. The dinner will be prepared by Amigable of Seville at Chopra’s downtown San Diego condominium for eight to 10 guests.

“They were competing for a spot on The Corner Lot and they didn’t get it,” Alioto said. “So you are certainly not guaranteed a contract if you give generously at the gala. It’s not a sure fire way to win.”

According to IRS forms that nonprofit organizations must make available for public viewing, the foundation spent more on supporting the college’s effort to raise funds for construction than it did on student scholarships.

Tax documentation shows the foundation spent $45,525 on student scholarships and spent $75,000 on construction efforts. Foundation president J.R. Changtengco did not return calls to answer questions, including what kinds of efforts the foundation makes for construction projects and why that’s a nonprofit activity.